"...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." Isaiah 56:7

"O Lord,...you have been pleased to bless this house of your servant, so that it will always remain. It is you, O Lord, who blessed it, and it will be blessed forever." 1 Chr 17: 26-27

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“From here in Ephesus, a city blessed by the presence of Mary Most Holy — who we know is loved and venerated also by Muslims - let us lift up to the Lord a special prayer for peace between peoples.” - Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Homily at "Mary's House" in Ephesus, Turkey, November 29, 2006

Tell me about Sr.Marie and this Foundation!

OK! Watch the RomeReports Film to your right. Then view our Foundation Filmjust below it for a glimpse into the inspiring and hopefilled Cause of Sr. Marie. (Reading material below DONATE button.)

Virtual Tour of Mary's House

Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal ~ Paris, France

Parents of Archbishop Giuseppe G. Bernardini, OFM, Cap.

Prayers for the Beatification of the Servants of God
Sergio Bernardini and Domenica Bedonni
EnglishSpanishRecall that Arch. Bernardini is the one to give the Imprimatur to the Prayer for Sister Marie's Beatification!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Sister Marie makes a deposit in the bank for the purchase of Panaghia while everyone waited for Mr. Binson to learn the results of The Bey’s suit; and Father Louis Duchesne disputes the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Doubt still clouded the discovery of Mary’s Home on Nightingale Mountain. This was evidenced by a letter sent from Father Duchesne to Rev. Fiat, Superior General of the Lazarists, on 5 February 1892. Father Duchesne wrote:
“It is my duty, I believe, to call your attention to the recent discoveries which took place close to Ephesus and to the incredible state of mind in which your brothers there seem to find themselves. One of them, Fr. Poulin (if I read correctly his signature), is consulting me on this matter. I am answering him in unfavorable, but general terms.
“At first sight, it seems to me extremely imprudent to use the revelations of Anne-Catherine Emmerich as these gentlemen do. These revelations are the products of a sure imposture, in which, however, it would be advisable to make a large allowance for suggestions and unconsciousness. To introduce such elements into the area of tradition and archaeology is to err in the most grievous way. If publicity should come about, you will see the sarcasms that will befall the Lazarists of Smyrna. However, it would be very regrettable that the esteem these gentlemen enjoy would be undermined. They represent France and Catholicism in such a dignified way, in the East, that we could never care enough for their reputation.
“I am available, Most Reverend Father Fiat, to provide you with more information, should you wish to ask me.”
Sister Marie, meanwhile, was hard at work on her own. On 27 February 1892, she deposited a check for 45,000 francs into a special account in the Smyrna branch of the Credit Lyonnaise Bank. The account was established for the purchase of the property in question.
One of Father Poulin’s colleagues, G. Dumont, enjoyed his stay in Paris, not to dispute with Louis Duchesne, but to transcribe the texts of the Fathers and of the historians concerning the question at hand, whether Mary lived her last years in Jerusalem or Ephesus. From the Documents amassed in Paris by Dumont, Father Poulin wrote, and from those that we have been able to find in Smyrna, five things seem to jump out:
1. No known authentic authority for Jerusalem before the sixth century;
2. The first Fathers who spoke of Gethsemane do it in a hesitating manner and do not rely upon the apocrypha;
3. For Ephesus -- (and frankly) the best authors of the 17th and 18th centuries;
4. The most recent historians are divided; half for Jerusalem, half for Ephesus, or they are happy to mention the two opinions without taking sides;
5. Of this whole, one conclusion can be made; Ephesus balances Jerusalem and threatens to replace it.
This result, Father Poulin wrote, was obtained in 1892, five years before the brochure “Ephesus or Jerusalem,” and 14 years before the monumental work of Johann Niessen (1906). We do only want to put in doubt number 4 on the half and half divide of the two opinions, which is almost impossible to verify, and which has no importance since it is not their quantity that counts, but their quality. We have transcribed this result with all the more satisfaction because it synthesizes perfectly the studies that we ourselves have conducted over the years.
Then on 4 March 1893, he wrote to one of his colleagues from Paris, Amedee Allou:
“Do not believe that we have blindly jumped into this affair of Panaghia. I see with a calm eye the obstacles that men and things could throw in its path. The rock has detached from the mountain, but that does not stop it from rolling on.” (Cited in “Ephesus or Jerusalem.”)

Mini Bio of Sr. Marie by Carl Schutle, C.M.

Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, was born of a noble and holy family in the Diocese of Dijon, France on September 13, 1839. She desired from a young age to serve God with all her heart and answered her vocation. (Postulant, May 27, 1857, First Vows, September 27, 1862.) At the end of her second assignment in France she was inspired to find the House of Mary in Ephesus, Turkey. At that time Pope Leo XIII requested missionary assistance in Asia Minor. Sister Marie responded.

In 1886 she served as the French Naval Hospital in Smyrna, Turkey, and was appointed Superior in 1890. While in Smyrna she encouraged as expedition to find the House of Mary, Mother of Jesus, headed by Vincentian Priests. On July 29, 1891, Mary’s House, built by St. John the Apostle, was discovered. Archaeologists identified the ruins of a 1st century A.D. house with a Church from the 4th century A.D. having been built over it. On October 21, 1891, Sister Marie received permission from Fr. Fiat (Superior of the Vincentians) to purchase the property in her name which occurred on November 15, 1892. Sister Marie restored the House making it a place of pilgrimage for all people, especially Christians and Muslims. During restoration, three stones from the hearth, built by the Apostles, were found. One of these stones (cornerstone) was given to the de Mandat-Grancey Family Chapel in France to confirm her holy life, work, and devotion to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, uniquely identifying Sister Marie with this primitive Apostolic community.

All of our recent Popes have visited the House: Pope Paul VI on July 26, 1967, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass November 30, 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on November 29, 2006. Sister Marie lived a life of detachment, dedication, virtue, obedience, and charity; she died on May 31, 1915. Her Cause of Beatification was opened on January 21, 2011.

We encourage all promoters to download, print, copy and bind any articles, booklets, or leaflets found on our website –www.sistermarie.com- for non commercial distribution. Non English speaking promoters may have any article or leaflet faithfully translated into their local language for the purpose of advancing promotion for the opening of the cause for the beatification of Sister Marie.